Colombian Women: The Struggle Out of Silence

by Elena Garcés

Overview

From her personal diary as an eleven-year-old in a Catholic girl's school, in which she chastises herself for the sin of wearing a bathing suit, through erudite analysis of the patriarchal structures on which most world communities stand, Elena Garcés examines culture, history, economics, law, and religion as they apply to her native Colombia. In so doing, she promotes ideas which demolish the 'forced enclosure' of women in that society. Eighteen Colombian women, selected at random from many regions and ethnicities, and from up and down the socioeconomic ladder, tell life stories almost universally tragic, regardless of the wealth, education, age, or status derived from positions held by their husbands. Their experiences, in particular the ways in which family and institutions are used against them, illustrate the feminist theories around which Garcés shapes her arguments. This book will be ideal for undergraduate students of Women's Studies, Latin American Studies, Religion, and Sociology. It will also appeal to scholars interested in the welfare and development of women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739116265
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	08/15/2008
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Elena Garces is founder of the Cooperative Women's Group, Cali, Colombia.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Pages of My Diary When I was Eleven Years Old
Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Myself: My Life
Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Feminist Research and Methods
Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Empowerment Through Our Own Voices: Reflections on Woman-Centric Research
Chapter 5 Chapter 4. The Symbolic and Social Construction of Female Sexuality: Theoretical Background on Desire, Discourse, and the Body
Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Family Models and Colombian Women's Participation in History and Politics
Chapter 7 Chapter 6. Focus on Socioeconomic and Political Realities
Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Female Socialization and Stages of Life in Colombia
Chapter 9 Chapter 8. Oppression, Violence, and Discrimination Against Women in Colombia
Chapter 10 Chapter 9. Part I. The Virgin Mary Mother and Women: A Semiotic Metaphor in Aid of Colombian Women
Chapter 11 Chapter 9. Part II. The Catholic Church Incursions on the Law of the Prelates
Chapter 12 Chapter 10. Conclusion: Life as a Work of Art

Editorial Reviews

With passion underlying cool scholarship, Elena Garcés exposes Colombia's patriarchal system, a catastrophe for women and for the nation. Home, government, and Church collude to rob women, first, of their voices and, then, of the economic and political power by which they might thrive. Informed by her female subjects, the author links tradition and social science, to empower women, to encourage mutual respect between women and men, and to establish, perhaps, a model for Latin America.

Elinor Hiller